‘Fallen Princeborn: Stolen, Green Edition’ by Jean Lee

Troubled teenage runaway Charlotte escapes her abusive uncle, taking along her whiny sister Anna. When the bus they’re travelling on breaks down, the pair are forced to stay at an old farm where things are not as they appear, and people who aren’t around any more seem to have been erased from the memories of everyone who knew them. When Anna disappears during the night, Charlotte begins to wonder about an old stone wall and discovers it hides a strange world of magic. Can she find her sister and effect a rescue, or will the challenges of the River Vine realm prove too difficult to overcome?

‘Fallen Princeborn: Stolen’ is the first in a series of YA dark-fantasy novels and is a great introduction to indie author Jean Lee’s writing, though her series of short stories ‘Tales of the River Vine’ are probably best read first as a preparation for this book. Admittedly, I’m not a huge fan of dark fantasy, but I loved Ms Lee’s writing style – it’s sharp, quirky and witty and unlike anything I’ve read before. Having said that, I did find the plot hard to follow at times, but that might be more to do with old age than anything else!

A clever and well-written book that promises great things for the rest of the series.